Hard use camp knife?

I've gotten good use (and still continue to) from my Ka-bar Fighting/Utility Knife. Mine is the standard "full size" version with a 7" blade (around $70 new). There is also a "Big Brother" version with a 9-1/4" blade (about $90 new). The 1095 cro-van steel holds a pretty good edge, and it is not difficult to sharpen - I reprofiled mine to a shallower edge on and Edge Pro Apex, and it's held up very well.

 
OP - have you considered a partial tang BK2?

I know, I'm hilarious...OK, well, I have a feeling that suggesting you get a custom camp knife wouldn't go over, so I'll throw out the Tops Knives Pasayten Light Traveler. I believe it's the one & only production knife that I haven't sold off, & likely never will. It's a fantastic overall design, absolutely excels as a camp-knife, is plenty tough enough to withstand hard use all day long (knives don't have to employ overly thick simple steel stocks to be tough/stand up to hard use), & aside from me loving it - it's very well reviewed by the Interwebs knife reviewer types out there.
 
At that budget and for the blade length you want I'd stick with the Becker/KaBar and ESSEs for something reliable and warranty-backed.

As for those mentioned that are less than your requested blade length, I don't own one but, if I were buying camp knives these days, the next one I'd get would be a Tops B.O.B. Just too many good reviews and comments here on it.

I think the new Gryphon M-10 full flat grind may be a new contender as well. I'm waiting for someone to report on it.....
 
EChoil said:
At that budget and for the blade length you want I'd stick with the Becker/KaBar and ESSEs for something reliable and warranty-backed.

As for those mentioned that are less than your requested blade length, I don't own one but, if I were buying camp knives these days, the next one I'd get would be a Tops B.O.B. Just too many good reviews and comments here on it.

I think the new Gryphon M-10 full flat grind may be a new contender as well. I'm waiting for someone to report on it.....
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The Tops BOB is a good knife, but the Lite Traveler is a great Tops knife....a way better slicer/food processor & cutting tool in general, & it's stainless! I sold my BOB, still have my Lite Traveler (LT). I think the LT is far more adept at most wood processing tasks as well, with some exceptions, & one of those probably being batoning - not a task I do much of personally. The BOB feels good in hand, though its grind helps to make it a heavier/bulkier knife than it needs to be; while the LT feels great in hand & is perfectly balanced....the LT feels quick & athletic in hand vs. the BOB feeling hefty & a bit lethargic.

So, just my opinion, but IMO, the BOB is good & the LT is great.
 
I'm going to make a suggestion, use a digging stick !!! My first survival class in the late 60's covered things a little different than the stuff out there now. We had a pocket knife and maybe a good sheath knife in the 4" range and we absolutely never abused our knives. We found a stick and sharpened one end for digging and if we found a good rock we used it for pounding things. I guess I'm old school, but it's worked for me for a long time and another thing, I've never broke a knife.
 
My hard use is a Esee 5. It is .25" thick so it is just a tad thicker than the 6. So digging out rocks and such is a breeze. But you may like a thinner blade?
 
Not in your price range but this and similar variations of the model are, imo, the ultimate minimalist "hard use & abuse" package. It can do way more that it seems and it was made to be mistreated. It's what I take with me on long outdoor trips or expeditions.

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It's a Busse BOSS Jack and I think it'd be worth it to work out a way to get one for your price limit. Just make a deal or trade, I'd do it.
 
Condor Varan is a good one for 50 bucks.
not gonna hurt it too easily and well within your price range.
You will have more $ now for other tools for your kit.
 
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